Louise McManus, the first nurse to earn a Ph.D., was central to establishing schools of nursing in colleges and universities, which provided the fundamental basis for a nursing science to evolve.

McManus created the Institute for Nursing Research at Teachers College, Columbia University, and worked tirelessly with the state boards of nursing, state legislators and national nursing organizations to develop a standardized national approach to nursing licensure. This standardization continues today, protecting patients nationwide and ensuring the quality of care received. McManus was always a patient advocate, and developed a "Patient Bill of Rights" adopted by the Joint Commission in Accreditation of Hospitals. She has been widely recognized in the nursing science profession as the major figure in furthering the professionalization of nursing, and received many awards for her work, including the Columbia University Bicentennial Award, the Florence Nightingale International Red Cross Society Citation and Medal and the Mary Adelaide Nutting Award for Leadership.

Additional Resources:Archives of the Department of Nursing Education, Teachers College, Columbia University. New York, New York.

Research Collections, University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, Michigan.